Information vegetable, animal and mineral: Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance

EDMONTON, AB – Complete with high-jinx, high-silliness and high-notes on the high-seas, Edmonton Opera presents the Gilbert and Sullivan classic, Pirates of Penzance, February 6, 9 and 11, 2010 at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. All performances begin at 7:30pm. Tickets, ranging from $32 to $165, are on sale now at Ticketmaster, call 780-451-8000 or visit www.ticketmaster.ca.

“This show makes fun of absolutely everything,” says Edmonton Opera Artistic Director Brian Deedrick.  “And who better to bring the hilarity and exuberance of Gilbert and Sullivan back to Edmonton Opera’s stage than the director/conductor team, Rob Herriot and Peter Dala, who brought us the Sterling Award-winning H.M.S. PINAFORE and Daughter of the Regiment!”

Also known as The Slave of Duty, Pirates of Penzance follows young Frederic as he celebrates the end of his 21-year apprenticeship with a band of merry pirates. When he leaves the ship and reaches civilization, he meets Mabel, (modern) Major General Stanley’s daughter, and the young couple falls in love instantly. Plot twists abound before Frederic discovers his apprenticeship contract is to end on his 21^st birthday. Technically, having been born February 29, only five of Frederic’s leap-year birthdays have passed, and he owes the pirates another 64 years of apprenticeship. Mabel and Frederic agree to remain faithful to each other until they are reunited upon his release, whereupon the plot thickens once more.

Comedy super-duo Director Robert Herriot and Conductor Peter Dala team up once more, with Curt Olds as Major General Stanley, Aaron St. Clair Nicholson as the Pirate King and Lawrence Wiliford as Frederic. The powerhouse cast includes Edmonton’s own Andrew MacDonald-Smith at the Police Sergeant, Sonia Gosse as Ruth, Nikki Einfeld as Mabel, Kendra O’Connor in her Edmonton Opera début as Edith, and Edmonton-favourite Renée Brad as Kate. The production also features live accompaniment by Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Edmonton Opera Chorus. Pirates of Penzance is sung in English, with English surtitles projected above the stage.

Watch Brian Deedrick and the Edmonton Operateers’ Pirates of Penzance synopsis here.

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For more information about Edmonton Opera’s season, signature events and education programs, visit www.edmontonopera.com.

Avast Matey! Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance

Celebrating International Talk Like a Pirate Day early, Edmonton Opera presents the Gilbert and Sullivan classic, Pirates of Penzance, February 6, 9 and 11, 2010 at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. All performances begin at 7:30pm. Tickets, ranging from $32 to $165, are on sale now at Ticketmaster, call 780-451-8000 or visit www.ticketmaster.ca.

Enjoy Brian Deedrick and the Operateers' Pirates of Penzance synopsis here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZZm0KMbGa0&feature=related

Edmonton Opera 2-Show Packages, which include tickets for Pirates of Penzance and Otello, April 24, 27 and 29, 2009 are available by contacting the Edmonton Opera Box Office at 780-429-1000 or www.edmontonopera.com. For more information about Edmonton Opera's season, signature events and education programs, visit www.edmontonopera.com.

Edmonton Opera Announces Zoie Gardner Award Recipient

Edmonton Opera's opening night reception for Rigoletto October 24 included a special moment in the company's history. Long-time supporter, patron, and volunteer Mary McPhail received the Zoie Gardner Award, the company's annual prize for volunteerism. McPhail, now 87, earned the same award for a lifetime of service more than 18 years ago.

McPhail attended Edmonton Opera's first production in 1963, and she and her late husband, Dr. Bill McLean, were founding supporters of the company. Since then, she's been helping to feed the chorus at rehearsals and performances. Rigoletto's principal cast members Tracy Dahl and Theodore Baerg led a toast to McPhail's lifetime of generosity, raising silver-plated cups that commemorate the many premieres celebrated by a young Edmonton Opera in the 1960's.
Zoie Gardner was an active community member in Edmonton, after moving here from England in 1918 at the age of 10; she participated in church, the Opera Guild and the Orchid Society, as well as fostered dozens of abandoned and developmentally-disabled children. Recognized as one of Edmonton's most noteworthy citizens, the book Naming Edmonton: From Ada to Zoie featured her under the letter "Z". She was the recipient of the Order of Canada, Edmonton's Citizen of the Year, Woman of the Year, and received many other honours.

Edmonton Opera's Rigoletto continues at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium October 27 and 29, 7:30pm nightly. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster, call 780-451-8000 or visit www.ticketmaster.ca.

Edmonton Opera 09-10 Season

EDMONTON'S 2009-2010 OPERA SEASON
~ SURRENDER YOURSELF ~

The 2009-2010 opera season is brimming with love, lust, murder, betrayal… And pirates!

Edmonton Opera presents Verdi's Rigoletto, Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance and Verdi's Otello, as well as a special collaboration between Edmonton Opera and Alberta Ballet: Mahler's Songs of a Wayfarer and Weill's Seven Deadly Sins at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. Single tickets are available now at Ticketmaster, call 780-451-8000 or visit www.ticketmaster.ca.

"To me, Surrender Yourself means escaping life's worries and embracing the struggle, the spectacle and the magic of opera," says Edmonton Opera's Artistic Director Brian Deedrick.

"This season, we'll take you to worlds of passion, love, revenge, adventure, and, of course, the wacky world of a Pirate King!"

Verdi's Rigoletto
October 24, 27 and 29, 2009 - 7.30pm
Sung in Italian with English supertitles

A surreal set and provocative costumes by Edmonton's award-winning designer Bretta Gerecke transforms this season opener into a true circus of decadence and depravity. Despite his attempt to save his daughter Gilda from the Duke of Mantua's lecherous grasp, the hunchbacked jester Rigoletto pushers her ever closer to a horrific fate. With Theodore Baerg in the role of Rigoletto for the first time, Conductor Robert Tweten and director David Adams lead an all-star cast including Robert Breault as the Duke of Mantua; Canadian Superstar Tracy Dahl as Gilda; Uwe Dambruch as Monterone and Sparafucile; Norine Burgess as Maddalena; Benjamin Covey as Marullo; and Milton Liska as Borsa, with live accompaniment by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and featuring the Edmonton Opera Chorus.

Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance
February 6, 9 and 11, 2010 - 7.30pm
Sung in English with English supertitles

Returning by popular demand, the Modern Major-General and a band of merry pirates follows in the footsteps of Edmonton Opera's silly Sterling Award winner HMS Pinafore. After the young pirate apprentice Frederic woos Mabel, Major-General Stanley's comely daughter, the pair wades through a series of ludicrous mishaps and misunderstandings in an attempt at life spent happily ever after. Conducted and directed by comedy super-duo Peter Dala and Robert Herriot, Pirates of Penzance stars Curt Olds as Major-General Stanley; Aaron St. Clair Nicholson as the Pirate King; Lawrence Wiliford as Frederic; Edmonton's own Andrew MacDonald-Smith as the Police Sergeant; Sonya Gosse as Ruth; Nikki Einfeld as Mabel; Kendra O'Connor in her Edmonton Opera debut as Edith; and the beloved Renée Brad as Kate. The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Edmonton Opera Chorus include their high notes on the high seas.

Verdi's Otello
April 24, 27 and 29, 2010 – 7.30pm
Sung in Italian with English supertitles

Edmonton Opera's production of Otello rounds out Verdi's trio of Shakespeare operas. Otello pairs a story faithful to the Bard's tragic tale of jealousy and deceit with beautiful and complex music. Conducted by James Meena and directed by Edmonton Opera's Brian Deedrick, Otello showcases an all-Canadian cast including John MacMaster as the title character; Sally Dibblee as Desdemona; Gregory Dahl as Iago; Colin Ainsworth as Cassio; Elizabeth Turnbull as Emilia; Brian McIntosh as Lodovico; Thomas Macleay as Roderigo; and Gregory Atkinson as Montano, along with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Edmonton Opera Chorus.

Special co-production with Alberta Ballet:
Mahler/Weill's Songs of a Wayfarer/Seven Deadly Sins
April 9 & 10, 2010 – 7.30pm

Edmonton Opera and Alberta Ballet team up once again, this time focusing on the work of two ground-breaking German composers. Though from different eras, both Gustav Mahler and Kurt Weill were visionaries who explored the way music creates worlds of its own. Choreographers Emily Molnar and Yukichi Hattori will each present a new ballet set to these innovative works, and the event will be conducted by Peter Dala, with stage consulting by Edmonton Opera's Brian Deedrick. Vocal soloists include Allyson McHardy, Patricia O'Callaghan, Stuart Howe, Thomas Macleay, John Conlon and Uwe Dambruch, with movement by Alberta Ballet's corps and live accompaniment by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.


Subscribers to Edmonton Opera's 2009-2010 save up to 25 per cent on ticket prices, sit in the best seats in the house and pay 2008-2009 subscription rates. Subscriptions are available by contacting the Edmonton Opera Box Office at 780-429-1000 or www.edmontonopera.com. For more information about Edmonton Opera's season, signature events and education programs, visit www.edmontonopera.com.

Four cornerstone arts organizations bring you The Season on Stage

THE SEASON ON STAGE

Four leaders in the Edmonton arts scene join together to bring you an exceptional performance package

Four fabulous performances, one low price.

Edmonton, AB … Explore, Listen, Feel, Surrender. Four cornerstone arts organizations in Alberta, and leaders in the Edmonton arts scene, have come together to offer The Season on Stage. The Alberta Ballet, the Citadel Theatre, Edmonton Opera, and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra invite all dance, theatre, opera, and music lovers to experience the diversity of the performing and musical arts in Edmonton with a special, limited time, ticket package offer.

Choice performances included in this ticket package are: the Alberta Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet, the Citadel Theatre’s As You Like It, Edmonton Opera’s Pirates of Penzance, and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra’s Vivaldi’s Guitar Concerto.

Alberta Ballet presents

Romeo and Juliet

November 6 & 7, 2009

Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium

Choreography: Jean Grand-Maître

Accompanied by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra

Alberta Ballet’s three-year Shakespeare Cycle opened with Kirk Peterson’s magnificent Othello and was followed by Christopher Wheeldon’s critically acclaimed triumph A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This season we conclude the cycle with an encore presentation of Grand-Maître’s intense and riveting Romeo and Juliet, set to one of the most brilliant scores ever written for ballet, by the great Sergei Prokofiev.

“Collaboration is at the heart of creating art. Along with our other partnerships this season, we are proud to be able to share in this great opportunity to allow our audiences to experience some of the best of what Edmonton’s arts community has to offer.”

– Darryl Lindenbach, Executive Director, Alberta Ballet

Edmonton Opera presents

Pirates of Penzance

Gilbert and Sullivan

February 6, 9, & 11, 2010

Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium

Back by popular demand, Gilbert and Sullivan’s timeless classic returns to the stage for a delightful meander through the world of England’s most notorious, yet generous, pirates. As to be expected from Gilbert and Sullivan, this sunny delight in the midst of winter owes its hilarity to a series of misunderstandings, impossibly ludicrous rules, and the indomitable (if misguided) spirit of young love. The high-jinx, high silliness, and high notes on the high seas will be steered by Conductor/ Director team Peter Dala and Robert Herriot, who brought the laughs to Edmonton Opera audiences in recent productions of Daughter of the Regiment and H.M.S. Pinafore. Join us in February for our own version of a winter cruise, and don’t miss the adventure in this topsy-turvy world of fools!

“It’s a great package for people who want to try a little bit of everything – we have such wonderful art in this city and Edmontonians will really benefit from getting to try it all this season. Arts partnerships in Edmonton have always been a foundation of our business, and this is a wonderful new extension of collaborating.”

- Mary Phillips-Rickey, General Manager, Edmonton Opera

The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra presents

Vivaldi’s Guitar Concerto

March 26 & 27, 2010

Francis Winspear Center for Music

William Eddins, conductor

Manuel Barrueco, guitar

“A superior musician,” wrote the New York Times of Manuel Barrueco, a classical music guitarist who makes his ESO debut playing Vivaldi’s haunting Guitar Concerto. Barrueco will also demonstrate his world of talent, musicianship, and technical acuity performing Sierra’s Folias, based on Spanish dances of the 16th and 17th centuries. Bill Eddins and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra will complete the program with Respighi’s popular Ancient Airs and Dances and Petroushka, a ballet based on the Russian tale of a puppet brought to life.

“We feel this to be a terrific offer for patrons of the musical and performing arts, to have a full range experience of the high calibre artistic talent that resides in our city. Through the partnership of these four flagship arts groups, people can enjoy a taste of everything. And for newcomers, what a perfect way to experience it all.”

- Annemarie Petrov, Managing Director, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra

The Citadel Theatre presents

As You Like It

April 17 – May 9, 2010

Maclab Theatre

By: William Shakespeare

Directed by: James MacDonald

What is a young noblewoman to do when she and her father are banished from their home on pain of death? Rosalind retreats to the Forest of Arden where nature and love are her happy salvations. Fearful of discovery, she disguises herself as a boy, only to fall madly in love with a handsome, lovesick gentleman, Orlando. A romantic comedy ahead of its time, Shakespeare’s As You Like It features delightful characters, mischievous encounters and deliciously witty repartee.

Featuring the participants of the 2010 Citadel/Banff Centre Professional Theatre Program.

“The Citadel has high regard for the work of our arts partners, Edmonton Opera, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, and the Alberta Ballet, and we’re excited to be working together to offer Edmontonians a great mix of live performance opportunities this season.”

– Penny Ritco, Executive Director, Citadel Theatre

Only 100 ticket packages available! Packages can be purchased at TIX on the Square beginning September 8th, 2009. Four tickets, four performances, all for one low price of $170 (plus fees). Call 780-420-1757, toll-free 1-877-888-1757, or visit www.tixonthesquare.ca.

La Traviata Closes Edmonton Opera Season

Verdi's

LA TRAVIATA

Closes the 2008-2009 Edmonton Opera season

La Traviata, the heartbreaking and tragic masterpiece, closes Edmonton Opera's 2008-2009 season with Verdi's acclaimed score April 25, 28 and 30 at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster, call 780-451-8000 or visit www.ticketmaster.ca. La Traviata is sung in Italian with English supertitles projected above the stage.

Violetta Valéry, the notoriously beautiful and vivacious courtesan, is the toast of glittering Paris salon-life. While Violetta hosts the French élite at a party celebrating her recovery from a recent illness, Alfredo, a young nobleman, confesses his long-time adoration of her. Preferring her freedom to the confines of a romantic relationship, Violetta at first rejects Alfredo's advances. She is soon persuaded by his romantic declarations, and the couple settles into life at her country home. Furious that his son's affair is disgracing the family, Alfredo's father, Germont, demands she let Alfredo go. Although her health is failing, Violetta, in the grip of consumption, rejects him at Germont's request, sending Alfredo into a jealous rage. Will the lovers reconcile before tragedy strikes?

"I am not alone in counting La Traviata as one of the greatest of all operas, for so many reasons," says Artistic Director Brian Deedrick. "The beauty of the piece, the richness of the characters, the glorious evocations of another time and the tissue-essential heartbreak make Traviata, a must-see for everyone."

Alberta-born soprano Laura Whalen, who last graced the city's stage as Filumena, sings the role of Violetta, with Québec tenor Marc Hervieux as Alfredo, and Edmonton favourite Theodore Baerg as Germont. Thomas Macleay (Gastone), Doug MacNaughton (Douphol), Brian McIntosh (Dr. Grenvil), Krista de Silva (Flora), Alexander Dobson (Marquis d'Obigny) and Renée Brad (Annina) join Conductor Steven Osgood and past Edmonton Opera Artistic Director Michael Cavanagh in closing the opera season. The Edmonton Opera Chorus and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra lend their talents to this much-loved production.

All performances of La Traviata begin at 7:30pm and run at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. Single tickets, which range from $28 to $160, are available at Ticketmaster at 780-451-8000 or visit www.ticketmaster.ca. For more information, please visit www.edmontonopera.com.

The Pearl Fishers: A Special Presentation by the Edmonton Opera

Bizet's

The Pearl Fishers

An intimate and unique opera experience

Journey to an exotic island in the Indian Ocean as Edmonton Opera presents a tale of love and passion, friendship and betrayal, jealousy and sacrifice. A special production of Bizet's The Pearl Fishers (Les pêcheurs de perles) plays for two nights only, March 12 and 14, in the intimacy of the Winspear Centre. Tickets are on sale now at the Edmonton Opera Box Office: call (780) 429-1000 or visit www.edmontonopera.com. The Pearl Fishers is performed in French, with English surtitles projected above the stage.

A life-long friendship between two men, Nadir and Zurga, once nearly destroyed by their love for the same woman, survived thanks only to their vow to never see her again. When a mysterious priestess arrives on their island, Nadir recognizes her as the woman he and Zurga once loved, and, overcome by his passion, he must choose between the love of his friend and that of his Leila.

The most famous men's duet in all of opera, "Au fond du temple saint," is only one of the unforgettable musical moments in a haunting and beautiful tragic opera. Edmonton Opera is proud to welcome Amy Hansen, who sang Lakmé in 2005, as Leila. She is joined by Colin Ainsworth, who sang Tonio in Daughter of the Regiment, Edmonton favourite Gregory Dahl, and bass Andrew Stewart in his Edmonton Opera debut. Director Brian Deedrick and Conductor Robert Dean lead the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Edmonton Opera Chorus in this innovative production.

"The extraordinary success of Lakmé in the intimate acoustical splendour of the Winspear Centre has been the inspiration for The Pearl Fishers," says Deedrick. "We've spent four years looking for the project that could provide Edmonton audiences with an equally powerful and moving operatic experience. We are so pleased that CGI, The Pearl Fishers' presenting sponsor, is making this production possible."

Both performances of The Pearl Fishers begin at 7:30pm and run at the Winpear Centre. Tickets, which range from $24 to $110, are available at the Edmonton Opera Box Office, call (780) 429-1000 or visit www.edmontonopera.com.

A military romp with the Edmonton Opera

Donizetti's

Daughter of the Regiment

This one's for the girls!

Edmonton Opera melts the mid-winter freeze with Gaetano Donizetti's military romp, Daughter of the Regiment, February 7, 10 and 12 at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster, call 780-451-8000 or visit www.ticketmaster.ca. Daughter of the Regiment (or La fille du régiment) is sung in French, with English supertitles projected above the stage and English dialogue, so patrons won't have to be francophones to get in on the fun.

Marie, the adopted daughter of the 21^st Regiment in a 19^th century French army, loves being one of the boys. But when the Regiment is posted near a town in the Tyrolean Mountains, Marie falls head over heels for Tonio, one of the townsfolk. The Regiment declares Marie must marry into, not out of, the army, and Tonio rushes to join its ranks. Before he can even make his first salute, the Marquise of Birkenfeld appears, declaring she is Marie's aunt and intending to sweep Marie out of army life and into the lavish stuffiness of being a "lady." Can Marie gain a new family, snag the man she loves, and still keep her beloved regiment?

"This one celebrates the ladies," says Brian Deedrick, Edmonton Opera's Artistic Director. "It's a rare feat and a rare treat: an opera about a woman who finds love and life satisfaction while, quite literally, marching to the beat of her own drum. We're delighted to be bringing this laugh and a half back to the Jubilee Auditorium: the jokes will be rowdy, the story convoluted, and the singing spectacular. If ever there was a night to grab your girlfriends, pull on your best duds and head to the opera, this is it!"

The all-Canadian production is led by Director Robert Herriot and Conductor Peter Dala, the duo who led the Sterling Award-winning production of H.M.S. PINAFORE. They are joined by Andriana Chuchman as Marie, Colin Ainsworth as Tonio, Theodore Baerg as Sulpice, Sonya Gosse as the Marquise, and Chad Louwerse as Hortensio. Daughter of the Regiment also features the talents of the Edmonton Opera Chorus and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

All performances of Daughter of the Regiment begin at 7:30pm and run at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. Two-show packages for Edmonton Opera's presentations of Daughter of the Regiment and La Traviata are available through the Edmonton Opera Box Office, call 780-429-1000 or visit www.edmontonopera.com. For single tickets, which range from $25 to $150, contact Ticketmaster at 780-451-8000 or visit www.ticketmaster.ca.